Packers’ Harris Is at the Front of a Defensive Turnaround

Posted by Geo

January 13, 2008

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Four years after making one of the most memorable plays in Green Bay Packers playoff history, cornerback Al Harris stepped to the lectern at a news conference this week and flatly announced he would not entertain questions about it.

Then, of course, he did. For almost 10 minutes.

In Packer country, Harris is best known for intercepting a Matt Hasselbeck pass and racing 52 yards in overtime to beat the Seattle Seahawks, 33-27, in a wild-card game in 2004. The dreadlocks that dangle from the back of his helmet come a close second.

Seattle and Hasselbeck, whose declaration that “we want the ball, and we’re going to score,” wound up being broadcast on national television, are returning to Lambeau Field on Saturday for a National Football Conference divisional playoff. And the affable Harris handled questions about the interception as deftly as he handles wideouts. His reputation as one of the best cover corners grew from that play in Green Bay’s last playoff victory, and it culminated this season in his first Pro Bowl selection.

Harris, 33, is the oldest starter on a defense that shares credit for the Packers’ 13-3 regular-season record with Brett Favre and the high-powered offense. The defense will be charged with slowing Deion Branch, who returns after missing two games with a right calf strain, and the pass-happy offense of Coach Mike Holmgren.

“It’s a big challenge for our guys,” the defensive coordinator Bob Sanders said. “But it’s a challenge I think our guys are ready to handle.”

Last season, the Packers would not have been up to the task, even with Harris and Charles Woodson forming one of the league’s best sets of press-coverage corners.

Though Sanders, in his first year as coordinator, ran the same sets and schemes as his predecessor, Jim Bates, the Packers routinely gave up big plays and sat near the bottom of the league’s defensive rankings until the final month of the season. They ranked last after Week 7, and 29th as late as Week 14 before finishing 12th.

Better communication and familiarity among the players this season, Harris said, led to better play. The Packers allowed 291 points, sixth lowest in the league and 75 fewer than last season. Green Bay ranked 11th over all on defense, second in pass-completion percentage (55.2) and third in third-down conversions (33 percent).

“We knew why we were making mistakes,” Harris said. “We haven’t done anything different the last three years. The difference is, we’ve got everybody back.”

Sanders said, “We’re able to maybe do some things this year that we weren’t able to do last year, because we’ve progressed.”

Though Harris and defensive end Aaron Kampman (12 sacks) are the Packers’ only defensive Pro Bowlers, alternates included Woodson, linebackers Nick Barnett and A. J. Hawk and free safety Nick Collins.

Strong safety Atari Bigby may not be far behind. A first-year starter, Bigby had four of his team-leading five interceptions in December. Woodson, the only other starter over 30, had four interceptions. (Woodson missed practice Wednesday with knee and toe soreness but should play, Coach Mike McCarthy said.)

Packers General Manager Ted Thompson made the decision to carry 11 defensive linemen, three more than most teams, and it proved prescient later in the season when tackles Johnny Jolly and Colin Cole were injured. The depth allowed the Packers to keep Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila fresh as a pass rusher. His nine and a half sacks were his most since 2004.

“It’s hard to find a defensive lineman when you need one late in the season,” Thompson said. “It’s not the normal way to start out the season, because your 53-man roster is a little bit out of balance. But we felt like we had guys worthy of being on the team. It seems to have worked out O.K.”

For the most part, Thompson said, the defense has been consistent all year, but two performances stand out. On Oct. 14 the Packers shut out Washington in the second half, and Woodson returned a fumble 57 yards for the deciding touchdown in a 17-14 victory.

Four weeks later, the Packers held Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson, who broke the N.F.L. single-game rushing record the week before, to 45 yards in a 34-0 rout.

The biggest glitch came in the 37-27 loss to Dallas on Nov. 29. With the Cowboys putting receivers in motion to disrupt assignments, Tony Romo threw for 309 yards and 4 touchdowns, the best passing day against the Packers all season. How the Packers will handle motion Saturday against the Seahawks remains a concern.

But Harris tried to keep things light this week. There are 10 huge montages of highlights at Lambeau Field that adorn the hallway leading to the Packers’ locker room. One shows Harris raising his left index while cradling the ball in his right arm during the interception return. Harris joked that he looks at it every time he walks past.

“It was a big play, and a big moment in my life and my career, but I wouldn’t define my career by that play,” he said. “It rarely happens like that — you call a blitz, and what you’re looking for happens. It was a lucky play.”

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